Here to help on grant bids

Expressions of interest are open until February 16. Landowners could be eligible for a Growth Programme grant if their business is carrying out a project to create jobs or bring more money into the rural economy. There are three types of grant – business development, food processing, and rural tourism infrastructure.

For business development, the minimum grant available to diversify into non-agricultural activities is £20,000 and the maximum is £175,000. For food processing, the minimum grant for food and drink businesses that process agricultural and horticultural products is £20,000 and the maximum is £750,000. For tourism infrastructure the minimum grant for small businesses and farmers who want to diversify is £20,000 and the maximum is £175,000.

We want to make farmers aware of this opportunity. The aim of the RDPE Growth Programme is to create jobs and growth in the rural economy. Your application will need to show your project will help do this. Every successful application starts with a good idea and a clear plan for how to make that idea a reality. We’re here to help make those ideas become a reality.

The Rural Payments Agency will assess all expressions of interest, look for projects that meet the national and local priorities for funding, and decide which meet the criteria the best. This means grants are not awarded automatically. There is a two-part application process, starting with submitting an expression of interest to tell the RPA about the work being done and how the grant could help. If RPA assesses that the expression of interest is suitable, they will invite farmers to submit a full application.

Richard Corbett, Partner with Roger Parry & Partners